(CNN) - GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney on Monday dropped a name for a possible running mate should he secure his party's nomination.

"There are probably 15 names of people, including (New Hampshire Sen.) Kelly Ayotte," Romney said in an interview on Fox News. "I mean, there are terrific Republicans in the Senate, in the House, in governors' offices."

Programming note: GOP presidential candidates face off at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, November 22, in the CNN Republican National Security Debate in Washington, D.C.
Ayotte, who was sitting next to Romney at the time of the interview, threw her support behind Romney this weekend in a highly coveted endorsement.

The first-term senator was elected in 2010 with 60% of the vote and is seen as a strong conservative on issues of finance and defense. A former state attorney general, Ayotte voted against the debt deal hammered out in Congress this summer.

She also pointed to Gov. Susana Martinez of New Mexico as a strong candidate.

While Romney has been criticized from the right for being too moderate, Ayotte said her main focus was electing a Republican who could oust President Barack Obama from the White House.

"(Romney) is the person who can lead our country, change the direction, bring those conservative principles that we need to the White House and most importantly make sure that Barack Obama is a one-term president," Ayotte said in the interview.

The former Massachusetts governor has remained steady in the top tier of the GOP presidential field, but a new CNN/ORC International Poll this week showed Romney falling slightly behind former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

And while Romney was hesitant to list any more possible VP contenders, the candidate said there's no short list of potential names.

"You've got extraordinary men and women," Romney said. "We have a very deep bench."

soundoff(218 Responses)

tom

Romney needs to ask Newt who his running mate will be....

November 22, 2011 03:02 pm at 3:02 pm |

16halo

He really thinks that he has NH and Mass locked up already just like the nomination. He figures since the first primary is right around the corner and he has not made any huge blunders, he can just coast right through 2012. He figures that Republicans might as well get use to the fact that he will be the nominee. He might be the nominee, but we Republicans should focus on winning the House and Senate and making sure the president either governs as a fiscal conservative or does'nt govern at all. I don't trust Mitt to handle the economy and I definitely would not trust him to lead our military or handle foreign policies. This man has no allegience to any government. If everything went south tomorrow he would pick up his familya and leave the US in a heart beat.

November 22, 2011 03:03 pm at 3:03 pm |

one voice

Case closed, Mittens will get CRUSHED.

November 22, 2011 03:04 pm at 3:04 pm |

Positive

It really doesn't matter who he says he'll pick. America will correct the massive, economy-destroying mistake of the 2010 elections and the Republicans and conservative Dems will be packing up their offices to make room for sensible people who are able to compromise and do the work that's needed without being beholden to Grover Norquist or any other extreme PACs. We sure won't put a GOTP in the oval office.

November 22, 2011 03:04 pm at 3:04 pm |

FIELD1stSGT

I have never read such a field of dreams as the above comments. These Obama supporters can not face realism when it spits in their faces. Anyone thinking Obama is a gift and not a scourge to this nation has to be brain dead. If he gets another four years we are dead in the water. To you Romney I would call upon Gov. Brewer of AZ as my running mate. She at least cares for this country.

November 22, 2011 03:05 pm at 3:05 pm |

Bill

and John there is no such thing as an intelligent democrat.

November 22, 2011 03:06 pm at 3:06 pm |

JOE

Maybe as his running mate she'd get more respect than our First Lady Michelle Obama who got booed at a recent NASCAR event for no justifiable reason whatsoever. And I may add that this is the first time in our nation's history that a First Lady was booed at a political or non political event. But I'll remember to pray for these people and when they sid down with their love ones this Thanksgiving, I just hope they remember to tell their kids that they're most thankful for booing the First Lady.

November 22, 2011 03:07 pm at 3:07 pm |

Positive

He has already stooped to running an ad with video editing that he admits is a lie. If you're so great, why do you have to lie about your opponent? While I never thought he was Presidental material due to his ridiculous adherence to the incredibly failed GOP idea of cut regs and cut taxes for the wealthy and all will be good nonsense, but I did think his character was above this.

November 22, 2011 03:08 pm at 3:08 pm |

v_mag

I'm sorry, I'm not sure I got what he said. Did he say "running mate" or "second wife"?

November 22, 2011 03:10 pm at 3:10 pm |

PROUD REPUBLICAN

Mitt Romney will be our next President elected November 2012. There is a 99.9% chance this will happen

November 22, 2011 03:10 pm at 3:10 pm |

sortakinda

Ms. Ayotte seems to make a good appearance. So did Palin. Until she opened her mouth-and never shut it for fear of slowing the stream of idiocy. Then the ventriloquist used a Michele Bachmann doll.

November 22, 2011 03:10 pm at 3:10 pm |

Mitt Romney

Well come on, we know I have this all locked up anyway!

November 22, 2011 03:11 pm at 3:11 pm |

Howard

Yeah, right. An entire ticket from New England. Now there's a winning plan. Not!

November 22, 2011 03:13 pm at 3:13 pm |

pjwylie

Ayotte has neither the experience or wherewithal for this job. He might as well choose Sarah Palin...

November 22, 2011 03:15 pm at 3:15 pm |

vet in texas

He'll probably pick Ayotte, the GOP needs women voters and they don't trust Romney, so this is nothing but a marketing tool (see McCain picking Palin), so that you won't be destracted from Romney's numerous stances on all topics based on whom he's speaking too. Let's see if the tea party is easily distracted on this one. Based on her Wikipedia page her stances are straight from the GOP running platform playbook that is necessary to captivate the easily riled up:

oops, forgot to mention the great St. Reagan,
Although the rule is, you can't mention Reagan's tax raises, amnesty or providing Iran with weapons, without mentioning that he did all these things because he was fooled by the democrats.......

November 22, 2011 03:21 pm at 3:21 pm |

JOE

99.9% not! Or perhaps if the GOP keep trying to devise new tactics for suppressing voter rights and changing the rules of the game, then maybe the'd have a chance. But what would be the end result of another Republican in office? More of the same failed and misguided policies that led to two wars and the worst economic crisis in America since the Great Depression? No, I don't think so! You guys had your chance and you blew it! OBAMA/BIDEN by a landslide in 2012 guaranteed!

November 22, 2011 03:26 pm at 3:26 pm |

Voice of Reason

Too bad he couldnt find someone who is half-Iowan and half-New-Hampshirian (?)... Then he could take pandering to a whole new level.

My official prediction: After the folks in NH do the obligatory Romney-love-in, and vote for him because he mentioned their senator – he'll move on and frop another giant hint about picking (fill-in-some-previously-unheard-of-politician-from-Iowa-here) as a running-mate instead. Then after the Iowa priamry, you wont hear another word about him or her either.

C'mon, Mitt. You're better than this – are you being honest with your fellow man?

November 22, 2011 03:27 pm at 3:27 pm |

Rinos for Winos

John McCain tried pandering for the woman vote and that did not work out so well. But of course he chosed Palin instead of Ayotte. Maybe she is more sane then Palin.

November 22, 2011 03:27 pm at 3:27 pm |

Voice of Reason

Combine this with the sleazy, out-of-context ad that his campaign put out there yesterday (accusing Obama of calling Americans lazy, when in fact, he said quite the opposite), with the outright lie-in-your-face ad that they put out previously (Quoting Obama as saying that 'we need to stop talking about the economy', when Obama already was quoting what John McCain had said previously, and pointing out what a bad thing that would be...), and you start to see why you cant trust Romney. He's lying more and more every day. We used to think of it as flip-flopping. But now we see that it's not just inconsistencies, but deliberately misleading people.

November 22, 2011 03:32 pm at 3:32 pm |

Rinos for Winos

Romney changed his mind. He is now running for president of New Hampshire.

November 22, 2011 03:34 pm at 3:34 pm |

Marie MD

Hey, $250m flip flopper, just like mcnasty didn't listen. It's not just any woman it's the RIGHT woman!

"I have ever read such a field of dreams as the above comments. These Obama supporters can not face realism when it spits in their faces. Anyone thinking Obama is a gift and not a scourge to this nation has to be brain dead. If he gets another four years we are dead in the water. To you Romney I would call upon Gov. Brewer of AZ as my running mate. She at least cares for this country." – this person is delusionally twisted!

And he thinks the wacko dragon-lady gov from Space Planet Ariz cares?! Sure she cares – about ignorance, bigotry, hate and fear.

November 22, 2011 03:36 pm at 3:36 pm |

Independent Voters

Please not another Sarah Palin these republicans clowns is getting on everybody nerves especially Newt.

November 22, 2011 03:40 pm at 3:40 pm |

SaintM

Penguin: If what you say is true and he really did strap his dog to the roof of his station wagon then he should be in jail for animal abuse. What a disgusting pig. How people treat animals is the strongest indicator of how they treat others and a glimpse into their psyche. If true, then it just shows that he has developed a similar disregard for people. Get out of here Mitt–maybe someone will drive you out of town strapped to the roof of their car.